


Matching Violets

by InsominiacArrest



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe- No Magic, F/F, Flowers, Fluff, Older Characters, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 02:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12003171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsominiacArrest/pseuds/InsominiacArrest
Summary: Diana has one summer left before she takes over her families business empire, she spends it working first-hand at one of their chain flower shopsA girl comes in every day to buy a flower and telling her to match them, Diana is intrigued, annoyed, and fallingDiakko Flowershop AU





	Matching Violets

**Author's Note:**

> thought the fandom could use more cute AUs

She arrived out of a rainstorm, not raining hard, misting and dusting the damp streets along with her, the bell on the door jingled like christmas time around salvation army volunteers. A lot.

It was a loud rustle and a couple of pounding footsteps from the front, Diana paused in her spritzing of the fern she was tending.

“Hello?” A bright voice chirped from the front. “Anyone here?"

“I’ll be right with you,” Diana wiped her hands down, “sorry, we’re a little short-staffed.”  
  
It was also only 10 am, which was right when they opened and they only had one opener, droplets of water fell outside and Diana pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she walked out. She straightened her apron and put on a proper smile.

The cut flower room was their main attraction, full of apology bouquets and first date arrangements, plus displays for when prom season rolled around. The displays were empty at that moment.

Diana spotted a girl in a red poncho standing over a couple hand fulls of daisies. She had one short spiky ponytail, a pair of purple rain boots and a very short dark skirt under her dripping hood.

Diana cleared her throat, “how can I help you today miss?”  
  
The girl pushed her bangs back and turned toward Diana, “Oh,” she looked her up and down, she grinned, “you’re new.”  
  
Diana straightened up, a regular then, she smiles wider, “I just started. For the summer.”  
  
The girl spread her arms out, “how about that then, welcome.” Diana nods back, “just for the summer? We’ll try to make it a good one then,” She put out her hand, “I’m Akko.”  
  
Diana raised an eyebrow and shook hands, “Diana.” She said slowly, “Diana Newbrook.” It was best to keep a low profile as the heir to the company that who owned these shops. And half the town.

 

Akko nods enthusiastically, “well if you need an intro to flowers.” She sniffs, “I’m sort of an expert.”  
  
Diana raised both eyebrows now, “Oh?”  
  
Akko shrugs and stuck her chest out, “I like to keep informed. For instance,” she put a finger up, “roses mean ‘I love you.’”  
  
Diana covers her mouth to hide a wry smile, “I see.”  
  
“Yep.” She turns around, “And sometimes cactus.”

 

Diana snorts to herself, “Well, they can...if you want them to.” She tries to say evenly, lightly. Akko looks over her shoulder.

 

“I can also give you a tour of the city if you need one.”  
  
Diana blinks a couple times, “I’m mainly here to work.” She explains slowly, “but I’d be happy to help you find something in the store.” Diana tries to hint about being busy, she had carnations to fertilize after all.

 

Akko claps her hands together, “you can.” She points around them, “I need a flower, but one like ‘ah’.” _Ah?_

 

Diana furrows her brow, “come again?”  
  
Akko gestures around them, “you know, like ‘ah!’ or ‘wah’.” She makes a quick yelp, like she was surprised or in danger.

 

Diana coughs dryly into her hand, “what’s it for? I’m sure I can help you find something for the occasion.”  
  
Akko shifted from side to side, “just something for when you’re in a ‘uwah!’ mood, you know?”  
  
Diana makes a face, “well, um, these Daffodils are always popular for surprises. They smell lovely as a new batch and will make anyone happy for a quick gift.”

 

Akko was tapping her chin, “they’re more like ‘woosh,’ don’t you think?”

 

Diana purses her lips, her muscles tensing, ‘ah’ was not a flower type. “Is it for any particular event? I have many recommendations for special occasions.”

 

“Huh,” Akko walked around in a circle and Diana followed her with lackluster, Akko glances over at her.

 

“What’re they for?” Diana finally asks as politely as she can.

 

Akko holds up a finger to her lips and winks, “Well that’s a secret.”  
  
Diana opens her mouth, and then closes it.

 

“Well…” she shifts from side to side, “if there’s anything I can help you with…”  
  
Akko held up a lilly and nodded, “does this seem properly ‘wa-oo!’ to you?” Akko was making noises Diana hadn’t heard before.

 

She sets her jaw, “yes?”  
  
They spend the next ten minutes going over flowers and Diana has no idea what she was actually after. Was it a prank?  
  
It had stopped drizzling by the time Akko was done, the sliver of bright milky sun shining through and Akko paying in cash for a three cut dahlia.  
  
They were apparently appropriately ‘ah!’ enough.

 

Diana was practicing working in the businesses she owned, she told herself that over and over as she checked her out and Akko made up things about flowers and asked for an extra bag.

 

She paused at the door before she left and Diana couldn’t wait for Hannah to come give her her break that day, Akko paused and gave her a thumbs up at the door.

 

“Happy first day!” She cheered, “you’re doing great.”

 

Diana stands there dumbly and watches her leave.

 

\--------

 

She came in the next day too.

 

It was a stark sunny day with the full breadth of summer weighing down on the city, Diana could see a horizon of ocean from her window and already feel the next sunburn setting in. This wasn’t her usual weather.  
  
The girl came in from the dappled sidewalk and bounced up and down when she saw Diana, “ah, Diana!” She said astutely, “my fresh new flower lady.”  
  
Diana sighs silently and then turns around, “what can I do for you today?”  
  
She’s surprised to see Akko in a pair of jean shorts and a white half-shirt with a ‘2011 Dog Walk Triathlon’ in faded blue print and a dog paw on it. Diana’s wondered over and her eyes landed on a large splotch of color on Akko’s skin, her head tilted.

 

“Is that a Chariot collectors card on your arm?”

 

Akko almost walked in a circle as she tried to follow what Diana was pointing at, “oh, my tattoo!” She comes to a stop and then flexes the intricate design on her bicep, “Yeah!” She turns to Diana with a smile, “did you collect them too?”

 

She had on a special golden Chariot tattoo on her arm with Chariot’s arms spread wide and a tree growing at her feet. Diana once had one of those.  
  
She presses her apron down, “I had.. some.”

 

Akko almost seems to vibrate, “nice! You know about Chariot, that’s a huge plus in my book, did you ever see her live or anything?”  
  
Diana shakes her head, “I...it was a phase.”  
  
Akko wilts a little, “well, one day I’m going to see her live.”

 

Diana raised both eyebrows in surprise, she studies Akko’s bright brown eyes, “good luck.” She clears her throat after a moment, “did you need something today though? We just got in a new array of succulents you might be interested in.”

 

“Ooh,” Akko bounces back, “I’m going for something that feels like how oranges smell, you know? Or maybe when you’re taking a walk and see something nice and have to ask the lady where she got it and tell her how good it looks, something like that.”  
  
Diana’s eyebrow twitched, “I’ll see what I can do.”  
  
She spends a better part of an hour with Akko trying to find flowers that were oranges and compliments all at once. Hannah gave her an even look as she showed Akko around and mouthed ‘get out of there’ at her as she passed.

 

Akko for her part described every Chariot card collection she had and then every Chariot grand venue performance. Diana isn’t sure how take this and shows her violets again.

 

Akko shrugs and then turn around, “I think Chrysanthemums will do today.”

 

Diana finally exhaled, “can I get anything else for you?” She wondered what kind of job Akko had that allowed her to spend this amount of time in the mornings at a flower shop.

 

Akko shrugs, “just four of these.”  
  
Diana checks Akko out as Hannah eyes them from the fern room and shakes her head. Akko chatters about concert venues and new TV shows, managing to only stop for breath once.

 

Diana bags Akko’s items and turns around to go take a nice long sit when she sees a red chrysanthemum jutted in her direction. She blinks.

  
“Here,” Akko shook the flower at her, “for you.”  
  
Diana paused and stared at blankly before Akko took her hands and wrapped them around the flower, “For all your hard work.”  
  
“Uh,” Diana tried to say she already got many free flowers. And could definitely buy her own.

 

Akko winks, “give it to someone you like.”  
  
Diana felt her stomach churn but Akko was already gone, _she has some nerve._ Diana puts the flower in her purse.

 

\-----

 

Akko came in every day like that: asking for an abstract kind of flower and spending a good chunk of time looking for it. Diana was getting a twitch in her eye and crick in her neck from being asked what kind of flower went with the aging opera singers at their last show.

 

She spent the night before her late day rewatching Friends (her secret indulgence) and analyzing stock markets with a pad of paper on her knees.

 

In the morning the cat next day meows at her and spends an extra minute standing in a spot of sun with him. Her skin was prone to going red before it went any other direction, but the soft glow against her cheek was worth it, she needed to savor her time in Luna Nova.

 

She takes a different route to the shop that morning and gets in at her late shift at exactly 12 pm, she didn’t expect to see Akko coming into the shop at the same time.

 

“Ah,” Akko waved, “Good timing. The flower genius.” Akko chuckles, “or uh, like genius genius?”  
  
Diana falters and then fluffs her hair instinctively, “you’re here later.”  
  
Akko shrugs, “so are you.”

 

They stand in the doorway and Diana’s sets her face, she wasn’t technically on the clock yet. “I was wondering Akko...What do you do for work then?”

 

Akko raised both eyebrows and tilted her head like a small dog, “What do I do for work?”

  
“Do you work nights?” She finally asks, “You are here for long mornings.”  
  
Akko put her finger up to her lips, “well. That’s a secret,” She grins, “isn’t it?”

 

Diana felt jaw muscles tighten, she was still being played with. “Excuse me.” Why were some girls infuriating? With their high-waisted shorts and silly socks with frogs on them and shimmering tattoos on their biceps. And secrets.

 

Diana takes deep breaths and goes to put her apron on.

 

She let’s Barbara help Akko with her flower that day.

 

Maybe she would never know anything about her.

 

\-----------

 

Diana prepared for Akko, she prepared for her like a general at a war zone and who knew very very little about the enemy. Akko was nobody, but she a huge somebody, Diana had to know.

  
“I don’t understand,” Diana clenched her hands and Barbara leaned on the counter next to her, “she must do _something_ , she buys fifty bucks worth of flowers a week.”

Barbara gives a dramatic sigh, “maybe she married rich. Who knows.”  
  
“I don’t see that being a huge option,” Diana says with her arms crossed, “She’s only got to be in her early 20s.” Like me.  
  
“Sure.” Barbara shifted in place and leaned her head back, “did you see Frank today though? I’d marry that at 20.”  
  
Diana blinked back toward Barbara, “Who?”

 

“He was looking pretty hot.” Barbara says with a far off look on her face.  
  
Diana knit her brow together, “I’m trying to figure out if my business is being scandalized by this mystery girl. Has uh, Frank been coming in?”  
  
Barbara rolled her eyes, “he’s literally Andrew’s best friend, remember that guy, the guy with a merger your family likes.”  
  
Diana stands up straight and remembers herself, “ah, right.” Her real future. And Andrew’s friend. “I’m sure...he’s looking fine.”  
  
“Really good,” Barbara stretched her back, “Diana you could do so well for yourself, our aprons are really cute and everything.”

Diana just looks away, “It’s all only for the summer…”  
  
Barbara takes Diana’s hand and squeezes it, “and then you never have to do junk like this again!” She cheers.

  
Diana just nods.

\---------

Akko came in the next day and bought lily's of the valley. They were meant to depict a fighting spirit.

\------

Akko got Colombine’s.

\------

Akko bought Snapdragons.

\---------  
Diana didn’t see Akko the next day, Diana’s day off arrived. She planned to originally go buy a times magazine and curl up with market reports, but her feet were carrying her in another direction.

 

Her brain was murmuring lowly, _last time_ , the sweat on her back draws her to the sliver of beach in the distance with waddling tourists on the surf. She goes by her apartment, pets ‘Milky’ the cat and picks up a towel and swimsuit.

 

Diana ends up on the beach, a real beach with sand and flowing waves and a discarded Times magazine in the bottom of her bag. She lays back and starts to read a book about a fairy falling in love with a princess.

 

Diana gets lost under her umbrella and curls her toes at every light breeze. She tries to imagines a gray desk after this and breathes in deeply through her nose.

 

“Diana!” Diana yanks her head up at the sound of her name, “Hey, it _is_ Diana!”

 

She looks around curiously at the noise and then sees something unexpected, something she hadn’t planned for today running toward her.

 

Atsuko Kagari is in a one-piece striped swimsuit and a smear of sunscreen across her nose-  running over to her.

 

Diana sits up straight and tries to hide the cover of her swooning romance novel, “Good afternoon.”

 

Akko was breathing heavily, “Hello flower shop girl.”  
  
Diana flinches, “hello.”  
  
Akko tilts her head and tightens her ponytail, “I never see you outside that place, I’m glad you’re here!”

 

Diana wrinkled her brow and looked away, “yes.”

 

“Sooooo,” Akko reached forward, “I came over to ask if you want to play with us.”  
  
Diana looks back toward and then back to her swimsuit, “play what?”  
  
Akko gestures out toward a net, “volleyball.” She stands up straight, “we have an odd number and someone has to help us beat Amanda, she’s eating us alive out here!” She points at a red-headed girl in cut-off jean shorts and a sports bra.

 

Diana rearranges her legs and looks away, “I’m doing something right now.”  
  
Akko puts her hands on her hips, “well, what kind of something?”  
  
Diana sniffs and flashes her eyes up, “secret.”  
  
Akko snorts and laughs a little, “Oh gosh, walked into that one.” Diana chuckles to herself too, Akko bent down to offer her hand up, “come on, you don’t have to like me, but you could come and have fun!”

 

Diana’s eyes go a little wider, _don’t like her?_

 

“Volleyball isn’t always fun.”  
  
“I’ll make it fun,” she drags her to her feet, “and if we beat Amanda, ooh, well, that’ll be something else.”  
  
Diana sighs and lets her be dragged to the nets, now she would be playing on her off day with the impossible flower shop customer. They lose three games in a row and win the fourth, Diana gets sand in cracks she doesn’t want to think about and the fourth game makes her whoop.

 

Diana Cavendish was not known to cheer loudly or ‘whoop,’ but she might have whooped. They had actually won one and Amanda threw herself into the ocean dramatically.

 

Akko bought Diana a fruit smoothie and described to her what flowers meant. Roses meant love, and so did cacti some of the time, that seemed to be the extent of her knowledge.

 

Diana went home aching and sore, but it was a good burn. She dunked her head in ice water to cool down and tries not to see Akko in every brunette news anchor she watches on TV.

 

\----------

 

It was raining again when she came in the next time.

 

Raining and wet and a warm violent summer thunder storm clinging to her, her clothes dripped on the green tiles, Diana knits her brow together.

 

“Do you need a towel?” She asks with concern as Akko steps into the shop.

 

Akko just shook her head, “It’s my own fault, forgot my umbrella.” She knocked herself in the head, “I was hoping I would see you though.”

 

“Oh?”  
  
“Wait, let me go pick him up. I was thinking of getting something like a Jeff today.” Akko went into the next room and picked out a little potted plant with a blush pink flower on top, Diana watched her steadily. She should find this weird, her eyes are drawn down to Akko’s hands, naming a plant was weird. She comes back in.  
  
Akko put a spiky green succulent on the counter, “I was thinking.” Akko started, “yesterday was fun.” Diana blinks back at her and rearranges ‘Jeff’ in front of them.

 

“It wasn’t bad,” she concedes after a long moment.

 

Akko bounced on her heels, “I was thinking, you could come over and play videogames with us or watch Sucy eat weird stuff we mix from the fridge or play scrabble. You look like you like scrabble.”  
  
Diana frowns a little, they hadn’t been _friends_ before this exactly. “Why? I mean, it’s a very nice offer.”

Akko scratched the back of her head, “We had fun yesterday,” she pouts, “plus…”  
  
Diana stands up straight, “plus?”  
  
“I heard Barbara and Hannah saying this was your last summer?” Akko was looking at her steadily, firmly. Diana was going to have to flick Barbara and Hannah after this.

 

Diana exhales, “last summer _here._ I’m doing fine otherwise.”  
  
“Fine enough to come play Mario Smash with us?” She grins.  
  
“Uh,” Diana realized Akko was the type to be a very persistent person, “I have a lot of work.” She also had markets to keep up with and Daryl to keep on eye on so she didn’t run the company into the ground before Diana could take over.

 

Akko shrugs, “that’s sort of the point? F-U-N. For forgetting work.”  
  
Diana shakes her head, “Maybe.” She looks Akko up and down, “if you tell me what all the flowers you buy are for.”

Akko gives a lopsided grin, “if you come over.”  
  
Diana looks across the cut-flower room and then back to Akko, she nods.

 

\-------

 

Akko’s place was on the corner of a cracked street and a little shop, basically sitting on top of the grocery store and popping out the side of the building. It wasn’t exactly like Diana’s downtown apartment in the sunshine neighborhoods, but it did have large windows and nice front steps.

 

Diana almost backs out, she also almost spends an hour picking out what to wear.

 

“I just need to know what she does,” she says to herself, “I just need to know.” She picks out a cream white sweater and light blue slacks and makes it to Akko’s front door.

 

She manages to knock after just a couple minutes in front of it.  
  
Akko opens the door right away, wearing in a slim pink skirt and big smile, “you made it.” Diana hums quietly and Akko grabs her wrist, “We already have a seat for you!” Diana grunts and is shoved onto the couch and told to watch for awhile before jumping in for Sucy or Akko.

 

Diana wonders if this was some sort of alpha ritual as the two other girls growl at each other over wii bowling. A with short brown hair and glasses shrugs at her from the other side of the couch, “this is just how they are.”  
  
Diana plays wii tennis and only throws the controller across the room once. Which was decent considering everyone else did it in the double digits.

 

They make her watch Clueless and two different romcoms and Akko doesn’t even hint at what she does with all those flowers she buys. There weren’t any in the apartment.

 

“Do you have plants here?” Diana finally asked after they ordered pizza, “I was thinking there would be… plants.”  
  
Lotte glances at her, “we make Sucy keep all her mushrooms inside her own room.”  
  
“For now!” The long-haired girl cackles.

  
“Yes, alright,” Diana tries not to touch anything on their messy table, “but don’t many young women have...flowers?”  
  
“Is this because Akko comes into your little shop each day?” Sucy says as the movie The Big Sick plays in the background.

 

“Shut up,” Akko kicks her friend Sucy, “Diana isn’t interested in that!”

 

“I am.” Diana protests, her curiosity, among other things, eating at her.

 

Sucy snickers, “let’s just say she’s been going there _a lot_ more.”

“It’s kind of for Akko’s work.” Lotte contributes helpfully, “but I guess she has been going a lot more than she used to.”  
  
Akko throws their couch pillows at the girls and turns the volume all the way up, “we don’t talk about work from 6pm to 12pm, those are the rules!”

 

Diana rolls her eyes, “you are going to tell me.” Akko just leans over and tries to get Diana to eat more of her popcorn before it gets cold.

 

The night isn’t bad, Dian even finds her belly hurting from laughter after a couple sugary drinks and some more late night comedies. Akko is grinning at her too.

 

Sucy and Lotte leave around 11 pm, both actually had work tomorrow, Diana waves goodbye to them with a curt ‘happy to meet you.’ Akko leans on Diana’s shoulder as the last movie winds down.

 

Diana heaves a sigh and glances at her, “did you really just want me to come over to watch movies with you? That’s it?”  
  
Akko nods sleepily and then yawns, “of course.”  
  
Diana kicks her feet in the air, “Well...I’m sure it doesn’t matter what you do.” She concedes and let’s the fire die down in her gut. She glances at her, “But I was hoping to tell me, since, after all, we were ahem, becoming _friends._ ”

 

Akko seems to think for a moment, she wiggles back and forth before leaning down, “don’t laugh.”  
  
“At what?” Diana blinks her eyes open a little wider.

 

Akko was pouting, “I know snooty girls like you might laugh at this.”  
  
Diana folded her arms across her chest pointedly, “I’m not snooty.” Akko arches an eyebrow at her and coughs into her hand, Diana turns her face up, “not _that_ snooty. I wouldn’t laugh.”  
  
Akko chuckles, “Look, I’m not embarrassed, usually.” She takes out a bright red nose, “you kinda made not want to say it.”  
  
Diana leans forward at the bright red ball, “what is it?”

 

Akko squishes it back into her face and puts her hands out, “ta-da.”  
  
Diana squints her eyes forward, “so you’re a...” She blinks at the bright red foam ball on her nose.

 

“I’m a clown,” She squeezes her nose and it honks weakly, “I do some parties and mainly the hospitals around here.”  
  
_Hospitals_ , “is that...is that who the flowers are for? Hospitals?” She asks tentatively, softly, like her vocal chords might shatter.

  
Akko leans back onto the couch and Diana’s arm prickles as their skin brushes, “yeah.” Akko looks away, “I get to know some of the kids, and their parents and grandparents and nurses.”  
  
Diana’s mouth falls open, and then closes it again, she reaches for Akko’s hand. She can’t help it, “why didn’t you say so?”  
  
Akko glances at her, taking her hand lightly. “I dunno.” Diana’s mouth went dry, “‘I’m a clown’ wasn’t a great opener and…” Diana holds her breath, “your face was pretty priceless too.”

 

“Oh,” she pushes her, “oh come on.”  
  
Akko laughs, “when I said ‘secret’? I could make an HBO show out of that face you made!”  
  
Diana rolls her eyes, “I can’t believe you buy flowers every day for hospitals and didn’t just say that. Faces, honestly.”  
  
Akko traces her hands over Diana’s knuckles, “And I can’t believe a business heiress works in a flower shop.”  
  
Diana’s eyes go wide, “you knew?”  
  
“Uh,” Akko rubbed the back of her neck, “I may or may not have gone to find your facebook page and then Lotte pointed it out to me.”  
  
Diana lets her hand go and sighs, “so much for my discretion plan.”

 

She snickers, “Honestly? You have fancy written all over you.” Diana scowls, “but it works! It works. You obviously were spoiled sweet.”  
  
Diana looks away and tries not to let her face show anything, “I’ll be going back to it all soon…”  
  
Akko leans her head on Diana’s shoulder, “I’ve heard.”  
  
“It’s been a nice summer.”  
  
“I hope,” Akko says with a nod, “I can be a clown for you sometime. For free even, Chariot always did charity shows.”  
  
Diana snorts, “I can see the Chariot in you.”  
  
Akko’s brownish eyes flick up at Diana, her mouth is open, she licks her lips with a slight smile, “did you ever give that Chrysanthemum away?”

 

Diana furrows her brow and shifts her shoulder for Akko to rest her chin on more comfortably. “A Chrysanthemum?” She asks.  
  
“Yeah,” Akko traces her forearm now, “from the second day.”  
  
Diana racks her brain, trying to put it all together. A Chrysanthemum she gave her… Akko’s eyes were fluttering shut.

 

“It’s no big deal.” Akko put her head in the crook of Diana’s neck, seeming to yawn and nod off, Diana watches her face.

 

“No. I don’t think I did anything with it.” She finally says and Akko just hums.

 

“Good.” She breaths in, “you should find someone though. Be happy.”  
  
Diana rests her head down and just hums, they fall asleep on that couch like the low tide comes to shore, slowly and softly.

\----------

Diana woke up on a foreign couch with a crook in her back and mouth tasting gray and like stale pizza. Akko was already up and Sucy was cooking some sort of omelettes with mushrooms and hot sauce. Lotte warns her not to eat any of it.

Diana drinks a cup of black tea and Akko yammers about the kids at her work and next Chariot tattoo she was going to get. It somehow feels normal, it feels terrilbly normal. Akko promises she's coming in tomorrow for another round of flowers.

\------

Akko buys an iris.

\-----

Akko buys a sunflower.

\-----

Akko gets an entire bouquet of Azelia and comes in teary-eyed, nose red and chest heaving, Diana just hugs her and tells her she’s doing a great job. She’s just like Chariot.

\-----

Akko buys another cactus toward the end of summer and explains it’s for an ‘icy but brilliant feeling.’

 

“Don’t you have the day off today?” Diana asked in a bored tone as she checks her plant out, Diana may or may not have gotten familiar with Akko’s work schedule.

 

Akko just glances at her, “Yeah, but this one’s a surprise.”  
  
Diana huffs, “I swear if it’s for me again….”  
  
Akko raises it up, “it _is_ for you!” Akko had gotten into the habit of buying Diana small plants.

 

“Why?” She sighs, “I have five of these now.”  
  
“Because, you see, they _are_ you,” Akko explains and touches one of its spikes, “prickly.”

Diana shakes her head, “so what does that make you?”  
  
Akko puts her hands out, “A beautiful pink rose.”  
  
Diana snorts, “I think you’re a dandelion.”  
  
Akko sticks her tongue out at her, “Dandelions are pretty, jokes on you.”  
  
“I know,” Diana looks away and tugs at her hair, “they are.”

She had four more weeks.

\------

She had three more weeks.

 

Akko takes her out to the movies.

\-----  
She has two more weeks, Akko takes her out to the low-budget theatre show in the arts district.

\------

She has one more week, Diana takes Akko out to a restaurant with a view of the ocean and buys her ice cream at the end of the night.

\------

She has two more days.

Diana is screwed.

 

Diana starts washing her hands two times in a row, she calls into work and says she’s sick, she takes Milky in from outside and cuddles him. “What am I going to do?” He mews back at her.

 

Her phone background is a stark picture of her and Akko smiling into a frame outside a bakery, Akko is holding an enormous baguette and showing it off while Diana grins into her hand.

 

She stares at the photo for a very long time. “I have to go back back to London.” She keeps staring at the picture.

 

She couldn’t stay in Luna Nova City forever.

 

Diana falls asleep that night with her mouth open, chips on the table and the TV blaring in the background. She has a vivid dream of running on a treadmill that wouldn’t stop.

 

She has one more day.

 

“And in today’s news, the Oklahoma fair celebrated its first gay couple participating in their yearly parade wedding! They were chosen out of a dozen other couples to married on top of one of the main floats.”  
  
“It seems very brave of them, people have been sending in angry letters from around the US for months now.”  
  
Rachel Maddow was talking on MSNBC in Diana’s living room.

 

“Well sometimes Bob,” Maddow said slowly, “you have to be brave.” Diana squinted at the screen, still barely awake, the Rachel Maddow seemed to turn to her and look directly into her being. “You have to be brave.”  
  
Diana only had one night left.

 

“Okay,” she whispers to herself and shifted on the couch, wiping her face and groping for the TV remote. “Okay.”  
  
Maybe she had finally watched too much news on TV, it still rang in her ears,  _be brave._

One more day.

Diana slowly teeters to her feet and glances at the cat curled up next to her, “Brave.”  
  
Her neighbor's cat just blinks at her and she finds the heavy hoodie Akko left there and puts it on. There was an ocean mist haunting the streets this early in the morning and Diana pulled on heavy socks and her best running shoes, slipping her heavy keychain in her pocket.

 

“Be good Milky.” She whispers at the cat before turning.

 

She stills her beating heart and runs out the door, Maddow is still chittering on screen at the 6 am.

 

“Akko,” Diana tries to text but her fingers shake, she runs to her flower shop, ‘The Good Morning Springtime’ and uses her manager keys to break in. She grabs one Chrysanthemum from the back.

 

“Akko,” she runs, she feels the fluttering in her gut. She puts her phone to her ear. Akko answers on the fifth ring as she runs.

 

“It’s 6:38 Diana.”  
  
“Come out, please come out.”

 

“Is it-”  
  
Diana clutches the flower, “it’s urgent.”  
  
She hears a click on the other side of the phone and Diana makes it to the apartment complex in a giddy rush. She bites her lip furiously and listens to running feet from inside. 

Akko came to the door in red sleep shorts and loose white shirt, her mouth was open, cheeks red, she glances down at Diana and her vibrating hands.

  
“For you,” her cheeks were burning, she puts the red Chrysanthemum out, “I, I, found them.” Akko tilts her head. “The flowers. For you.” She meets Akko’s gaze with her heart in her throat.

Akko’s face splits into a cheeky grin, “it’s about time.”  
  
Akko launches herself off the front steps and Diana opens her arms to catch her, Akko was technically taller but Diana lifted her up and spun her round. Their mouths meet. It tasted like the first bursts of light and her whole life spreading in front of her like a golden road.

Akko was soft against her, tasting like some mouthwash she might have just gargled. Diana smiles at the thought and kisses her like it was the first and last time. It’s a frantic fireworks moment, a rush of sugar and heights.

Akko pulls back and takes the flower from her hand.

“How long?” Diana asked with her cheeks flushed.

Akko peaked up over her bangs, “I always had a little hope after the second day.”  
  
Diana laughs and picks her up again to give a twirl, “thank you.” She gets in another kiss to her cheek and nose and then mouth. “You’ve made my summer.”

Akko held her hand, “I just matched your flower for you.”  
  
Diana tucks the flower into her hair and pats it, "You got me." She grins, "This is the one." Akko runs her fingers through hers and leans in for one more kiss.


End file.
